Shadows-Lights
by Writing1sLife
Summary: In the spirit of Brightburn.
1. Chapter 1

Black

Typical guy. I'm blonde, five foot seven inches, twenty-seven to twenty-eight years old, about one hundred and fifty pounds at lower body fat percentages. Getting strong in the gym but whatever, that isn't the reason for this tale.

Trust me. If you saw me, you would probably know me to an extent. I'm the guy wearing a black ring. Trust me when I say it is anything but your typical piece of jewelry. The reason is because shadows whisper things to me. Touch me; caress me. It's like they're alive. Secret _nobody_ knows: they are.


	2. Chapter 2

The Night

That night. I can recall it very well. I have good Christian parents. They taught me well. A lot of things. Taught me right from wrong, disciplined me when I disobeyed, did not show favoritism to me, loved me for the miracle I am in their lives, and they never stopped loving me.

But one night made my life different from what we might have ever believed. The funny thing was that I was the only person to hear the noise. I am a hard sleeper, but this was a dark point in my life. I was staying awake and then powering through the day, abusing the youthful energy within myself, and, for a guy who disliked the dark, I was strangely feeling comforted by it.

I began to wonder around high school about what it was that was hidden away from me. The forbidden things. A flaw all too many of us are giving into. The dark began to call and whisper. _Over here_. It wasn't an actual physical voice, rather, it was something felt within. I began to isolate myself from others. I was like the Terminator, so cold and detached, and within something very disturbing locked underneath. I had secrets, my own little world, and nobody existed in it besides me.

Meteors. Never encountered any before in my life. But this one night things, were different. I heard some kind of distant thunder. For some reason that I still cannot comprehend, my mother had not locked the door that night, as in the alarm to our house was not set. It was a simple matter to sneak out. I had perfected this very well. All too well I must confess.

I am scary in how quiet I can be. College-level reading even from a young age. Actually read Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea in one whole day once. True story. I am the quiet guy always in the back of the room. I like that. Feels empowering at times to be invisible.

To be unknown, to almost be perhaps that which might be feared, even if its only my imagination, it actually feels nice, to let in that dark feeling. How I snuck out I still find odd when I think as clearly as I can. It was almost like something was helping me that night. Something dark.

I found my way past traffic, to a place that for some reason was being ignored by everybody else. How come there was an impact site an nobody was taking note of it except me? It was as if I was _meant_ to find the spot.

It was not the biggest of craters, but there was an object in the bottom. It was a small thing, but somehow I could see it despite the fact that it was black. I reached out to wave my hand back and forth to clear the steam and smoke. I suddenly fell back screaming as the flesh burned. My hand! My hand was on fire! Something latched upon my hand and began to crawl to my fingers. It then clamped down on my ring finger upon the left hand. This was a faint perception upon my part for the pain was terrible. Burns are the worst of pain because they so easily reach through the skin to the sensitive muscles, tendons, and nerves underneath. I had suffered small burns from the stove, but never anything severe or close to second-degree burns

This was different. I must have blacked out. Somehow, I jerked awake with a yelp. It was midday. I was in my bed clothed in my sleep shirt and boxer shorts. How had I gotten to there? Last I remembered was… my hand! I jerked the left up with fear. Nothing? No scars or anything? What in the world? I know that last night was not a nightmare. You don't feel nightmares. At least I don't. I never go that deep. But something must have been going on last night because there was something on my left hand. It was a perfect black circle, a thick band that was as solid black as a lightless room. The sunlight seemed to swirl and refract off of it, almost in a smoky effect as if it were the vapors breathed by the sheiks of Saudi Arabia in movies.


	3. Chapter 3

**Soul Song**

_I wake up every morning with my head up in a daze_

_I'm not sure if I should say this, fuck, I'll say it anyway_

_Everybody tries to tell me that I'm going through a phase_

_I don't know if it's a phase, I just wanna feel okay, yeah_

_I battle with depression, but the question still remains_

_Is this post-traumatic stressin' or am I suppressing rage?_

_And my doctor tries to tell me that I'm going through a phase_

_Yeah, it's not a fucking phase, I just wanna feel okay, okay_

_Yeah, I struggle with this bullshit everyday_

_And it's probably 'cause my demons simultaneously rage_

_It obliterates me, disintegrates me, annihilates me_

_'Cause I'm about to break down, searching for a way out_

_I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer_

_I'm a popular, popular monster_

_I break down, falling into love now with falling apart_

_I'm a popular, popular monster_

_I think I'm going nowhere like a rat trapped in a maze_

_Every wall that I knock down is just a wall that I replace_

_I'm in a race against myself I try to keep a steady pace_

_How the fuck will I escape if I never close my case?_

_Oh my God, I keep on stressin', every second that I waste_

_Is another second sooner to a blessing I won't take_

_But my therapist will tell me that I'm going through a stage_

_Yeah, it's not a fucking stage, I just wanna feel okay, okay_

_Motherfucker, now you got my attention_

_I need to change a couple things 'cause something is missin'_

_And what if I were to lie, tell you everything is fine?_

_Every single fucking day I get closer to the grave_

_I am terrified, I fell asleep at the wheel again_

_Crashed my car just to feel again_

_It obliterates me, disintegrates me, annihilates me_

_'Cause I'm about to break down, searching for a way out_

_I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer_

_I'm a popular, popular monster_

_I break down, falling into love now with falling apart_

_I'm a popular, popular fucking monster_

_Yeah, here we go again, motherfucker, oh_

_We're sick and tired of wondering_

_Praying to a God that you don't believe_

_We're searching for the truth in the lost and found_

_So the question I ask is, oh, where the fuck is your god now?_

_'Cause I'm about to break down, searching for a way out_

_I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer_

_I'm a popular, popular monster_

_I break down, falling into love now with falling apart_

_I'm a popular, popular monster_

_I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer_

_I'm a popular, popular monster_

**. . . . . .**

Having found this song its all I can do to keep it out. I walk around these days with dark clothing, preferably black, and the hood up. I can't let them see me because they wouldn't like me if I was transparent and revealed what was underneath. So I hide, I lie, I cheat them of the real me, yet inside something is breaking. The ring is cold on my hands at times of my deceptions and indulging in pornography.

Yeah, I got secrets, and I find my only solace in the dark because it invites me with safety. Safe, hidden. Anyone reading my story, don't you even dare sneer. You know your guilty just like me. I avoid talking to God because he won't simply remove my sins from me. I fight to have God and my sin both but all it does is make me ache. My lower back hates me at times. I feel like I'm standing still as well. Why wouldn't I be standing still? Porn is always taking me back to the past and I have a back habit of always wanting to go back and start over. I'm as sad as Overhaul from My Hero Academia.

I'm having nightmares to. I dream grotesque and sorry things. The worst though are when I'm killing people.


	4. Chapter 4

"Interesting"

"Houston Plagued by Mysterious Murders" read the headlines of the Chronicle. Slowly he lowered the paper and pondered it. Then he picked up his phone and dialed up a certain contact. "It is another one."

"You are certain?"

"Yes I am. There is enough potential evidence. However, send a team and I will make sure we substantiate this. What is the status of Brightburn?"

"It has been pacified at last. He did not come quietly; however, his arrogance was undoing. I look forward to understanding what he is in the future. What is this one like?"

"Intriguing. It seems to like the dark. Or it is simply secretive." He contemplated what he should say next. "It is definitely attacking and killing isolated people at night. There is some concern keeping others indoors now. The homeless are the most likely targets because they are vulnerable."

"We shall make use of them as bait and see what we shall see." With that he ended the call instead of waiting for a reply. He smiled revealing teeth too good to be natural; more likely impressive, and expensive, dental work. Light glinted off of something near his fingers.


	5. Chapter 5

A Particular Call

He had been cut off. It did not matter that he might be a favorite, it mattered not who he was. Why without the research performed…? Well, a little retaliation was in order. If you didn't show respect, you would receive the same treatment.

A particular number was selected through the… unique symbol next to it. It was meant to symbolize attraction. It picked up on the first ring. She was such a good little one. He almost would feel sorry if he wasn't doing this to spite the same treatment he had received in the previous conversation. If it wasn't for the fact that he was their best, then he would receive something worse that being killed.

"Why hello. I wasn't expecting a call from you of all the people to dial my number. It must be important. Whatcha need? It must be important."

"It is my dear. Our puppeteer has unfortunately gotten a rather overgrown ego and head. I intend to have him understand his true position in the grand scheme of what we do. There is a new target for capture my dear. This one must come alive, but I don't think it will come willingly. In fact, it's possible that the target is quite unaware of what it truly is or the power it wields. Please be nice to him/her and bring them to me. I know you won't break it."

"Good as done. 'Magneta' will see the job done. I hope this one is cute. That one that was terrorizing places was ugly, especially his attitude. I find men like that repulsive."

"Just be fast; this thing only makes itself known at a particular time and only seems to operate within the Houston area. And even that is rather small since it likes certain targets. It has unusual tastes."

"I'll make a note of that. Thanks doc," she said sweetly and ended the call.

"Ah," he sidghed, "I do adore you my dear. But what I truly adore… is my operating table and lab where I am god."


	6. Chapter 6

"Run for your life"

I'm woken up by my parents suddenly shaking me. "Run," whispers my mother to me. She pushes my backpack into my confused hands and even splashes a cold glass of water into my face. I'm awake, shocked, confused and understandably terrified.

"Sam," my dad hurries into my room. "You need to run and don't look back. It will never stop. Whatever it is. You're not ready to face this, but you have no choice. We love you and will give you all the time we can." He hugs me and then is pushing me, not towards the door, but the window.

The door explodes open; I hear that much and then yelling, crashing and violence. "SSSSTTTRRRRRPPPPP!" That strangled voice, like the Nemesis of Resident Evil 3. Something awful has come for me and it doesn't intend to let me go.

"BRRRRRRYYYYYY!" MY spine vibrates with horror and terror at the sound that surely can be heard by the entire neighborhood. I keep running. It's all that I can do.


	7. Chapter 7

"**Words"**

He quietly walked down the alleyway. It was a quiet night in Houston. He smiled. It wasn't going to last. He knew where the action was, yet he took a path that he was certain the object of pursuit would be going down.

"You know better than to walk alone at night don'cha?" A voice from the shadows. Accented his ears told him. Considering the neighborhood, the nationality was up to only so much debate. What was not up to debate was that unsavory individuals had singled him out.

"Yes, I do," he calmly replied to the shadows. "But tonight, is so beautiful that I simply could not keep inside. Besides things are happening tonight that I simply _must_ observe. Forgive this most unexpected intrusion upon yourselves."

"Ah, a fancypants eh?" chuckled another voice.

"My _jeans_ have nothing whatsoever to do with this conversation. And quit skulking about. Come out what where you may be seen."

Several figures, dirty and grinning, stepped out into the light. A few more were behind. So… he had been tailed by them. He mentally sighed. Careless. But, then again, he had been in a bit of hurry to find a good spot of observation. It was quite possible that there would be… more than one… unfortunate happening this night. Couldn't be helped.

"Let me pass please. I have precious time that cannot be spent standing around here debating with you."

"Oh, you pass," chuckled one guy, thumping a rod in his left palm, "if you empty them pockets."

"Yeh get some a you nice stuff. We likes nice."

"No. It would be wasted upon you. You have no appreciation or understanding of valuables."

"Don't matte what'cha say. We get wha-hat we wadt." This one sounded like he was missing teeth, so his words were garbled slightly. 'Lost Teeth' advanced upon his six.

"Stop." The crunching footsteps halted. A grunt of confusion and predictable bewilderment. He had put a little effort into his words this time. But they had no true knowledge. Not yet. He would like to avoid any more effort than was necessary. He didn't move. Wait and see what the reaction was.

"Whatt'ya doin'?" demanded a voice.

"I wha-has movin'… den…"

"He scare you?"

"Doh," bristled the man. So, they were starting to get impatient, angry, emotional. Well it was potentially unavoidable now. They would back off and consider him not worth the trouble. Come to think of it, this neighborhood might be one of those lesser patrolled areas.

"He playin' some tricks, usin' words, but unless you a fightah," stated the rod-wielder, "you gonna make this more painful for youself."

"For someone," he agreed. "But not me." He looked up and stared intently at the advancing man, who scowled, but didn't stop, just came more guarded and prepared for resistance. "Now you are _warned_: Leave enough alone now; or what happens is upon your souls, not mine."

**. . . . .**

He grimaced slightly at his shoes. He liked these. But he could clean off the blood on the bottoms later. He was not visibly dirty from the recent events, and even if he was, he did not want to miss you tonight's action.

Quite regrettable the mess he had left back there, but it was necessary in the end. He could not afford to be detained, and besides, there was no trace to find upon the various deaths that had occurred. Rather, the authorities would have to make up their own guesses upon the mysterious nature.


End file.
